UT spends 760 crore to cover power supply gap

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CHANDIGARH: UT electricity department plans to spend Rs 760 crore on power purchase to bridge demand and supply gap. The department submitted the plan in the Multi Year Tariff (MYT) petition submitted before the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC).

As per the plan, the UT will utilize money on power purchase from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and from short-term sources like power exchange, solar energy from Chandigarh Renewable Energy, Science and Technology Promotion Society (CREST), and other power plants.

The power demand is estimated to reach 404 MW in 2019-2020. In Chandigarh it will increase to 448 MW in 2021-2022. UT electricity department finds it difficult to provide uninterrupted power supply to city residents due to high rate of population growth.

12 new 66 KV grid sub-stations will be established and all existing 66 KV sub-stations will be upgraded in the next 10 years, according to the plan. The overhead transmission line of 2,037 kilometers in the city will be converted into an underground line. The department has decided 10-year deadline for the completion of work.There is also a plan to install 1,825 new distribution transformers.

Chandigarh purchases power from the central generating stations such as Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited, Bhakra Beas Management Board, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN).